Blizzard finally announces a new IP and it’s calling it Overwatch

I’d never though I’d say this but Blizzard Entertainment has actually announced a brand new IP. Yes, that Blizzard and no, it has nothing to do with the Warcraft, Starcraft, or Diablo universes. The game in question goes by the name Overwatch and it looks absolutely amazing, not to mention insanely fun. Aside from being visually stunning and refreshing in terms of its fast-paced gameplay, the game also has character variety for days. I mean, we’re looking at a gorilla in a mech suit, a Japanese bowman, a Sith Lord look-alike, a Dwarven engineer, what appears to be a Transformer, a Gundam Wing cosplay, and some type of angel healer, to name just a few.

But what exactly is Overwatch? I’m so happy you asked. This game is basically Blizzard’s first attempt at an FPS (excluding Starcraft Ghost because it never came out). But this is not just any old first-person shooter mind you, it’s a six vs six team-based, competitive one that will most likely take the eSports scene by storm. There are no classes per se in Overwatch, although it’s hard to deny that some of the presented characters can easily fit traditional roles such as Sniper or Support. The game’s current roster is comprised of twelve characters, each more different than the last. The characters seem to hail from different countries and come with some the usual stereotypes, but this is unsurprising given the context as all of them once belonged to an international task force dubbed Overwatch.

Lately, Blizzard seems to have adopted a new style of making their games widely accessible as well as fun to learn. Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm are a clear indication of this, but the recently detailed Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void also seems to feature a few elements that make it less “scary” to get into than the previous installments. Overwatch follows the exact some pattern, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Shooters have never been my thing, but I’m absolutely dying to try this game out. If you feel the same way you can sign up for the Beta here. The first testing phase will kick off next year and the game will launch “sooner than you think,” according to Blizzard’s Chris Metzen. Blizzard’s “soon” usually means at least a couple of years, although the company has been dishing out games at a ridiculously fast rate lately so we’ll see.